Essay: What if AI waged war?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly incorporated into security and warfare. Yesterday, Purdue University held a symposium on the national security challenges posed by rapid advances in technology and smart systems. In conjunction, the Purdue Policy Research Institute held an essay competition in the spirit of the symposium: What if AI waged war?

I submitted a fictional essay responding to this question, The Fatal Flaw, which won first place in the competition. In this 3-page composition, I describe a potential outcome of AI war through the perspective of a former journalist. What I appreciated so much about this competition was the incorporation of creativity and interdisciplinary approaches into security and technology.

While many of us like to draw distinctions between our work and what we may perceive to be less desirable aspects of society, such as warfare and security, I encourage us to look more holistically at how we interrelate with one another. Warfare and security are realities of the world in which we live. They can occur with, or without, our input. The brighter the minds and broader the talents we encourage to consider these issues, the more humanely and ethically we can see them progress.